April 20, 2024

How Can I Keep From Singing Your Praise

August 5, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring
And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives
And I will walk with You
Knowing You’ll see me through
And sing the songs You give

I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And I fall down again
I can sing ’cause You pick me up
Sing ’cause You’re there
I can sing ’cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I’ll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne

 Chris Tomlin
written along with Ed Cash and Matt Redman

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

My whole being shall be satisfied…and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
Psalms 63:5

To the end that my tongue and my heart
and everything glorious within me
may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Psalm 30:12

Take a moment, please, and think back to last night as you laid your weary head down on your pillow…. Did your thoughts turn to praising the Almighty with joyful lips?  Did you remember the blessings and mercies and grace that He had given to you throughout the day?  Did you meditate and consider how very much He had helped you and guided you?  Did you recognize that He had protected you…and did you rejoice?  (I ask these same questions of myself!)

I think, for most of us, we DO thank God for the day that has just past.  But…then perhaps we get distracted thinking about all that has occurred during the day.  We remember conversations—good AND not-so-good.  We think about unfinished tasks and projects.  We add to the ‘to-do’ list we carry around in our heads.  Maybe we even start worrying over the next day that hasn’t even begun yet.  But there is a better idea!  Try thinking these things:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

So take another moment, please, and think about yesterday again….  Was there truth?  Were things right?  Can you remember something lovely that happened?  Did a friend do something you admired?  Did God’s blessings cause your heart to sing His praises?  I venture to say that yes…YES!…there were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and PRAISEworthy things!!!  Thinking about these kind of things will cause us to praise our great God with joyful lips.  Remembering  the grace and mercy that He gave to us will give us much to meditate upon.  Dwelling upon the goodness of our God will lift our heart and we will rejoice!

Tonight, as you again lay your beautiful head down, sing and speak praises to Your Father!  Instead of worry and concern, allow all the truth, the right and lovely, the pure and admirable, the excellent, the PRAISEworthy things to fill your heart and mind.  Give praise to the One Who supplied your needs, Who protected you, Who led you and guided you.  Rest, my friend, in the comfort and blessing of His presence…and I am sure you will wake up in the morning, saying as the Psalmist did:

But I will sing of Your mighty strength and power;
yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy and loving-kindness in the morning;
for You have been to me a defense and a refuge in the day of my distress.
Unto You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
for God is my Defense, my Fortress, and High Tower,
the God Who shows me mercy and steadfast love.
Psalms 59:17 and 18

And, perhaps, singing the sweet words of this song…

‘How can I keep from singing Your praise?  How can I ever say enough?  How amazing is Your love?  How can I keep from shouting Your name?  I know I am loved by the King…and it makes my heart want to sing!’

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Almighty God, You are Holy, You are Faithful, You are Sovereign, You are Love!  Please help us through Your Holy Spirit to remember to think on the true, the right, the lovely, the pure, the admirable, the excellent, the praiseworthy things…and to praise You, Lord!  We do sing out our praises…in Jesus’ precious name.  Amen.

 

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Hide Them In Your Heart

October 31, 2014 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

Jesus answered,”It is written: ‘Man does not live by bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
Matthew 4:4

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been (or soon will be) in a confrontation with the enemy.  At times it can seem like the confrontation will never end.  Because you are His—the Lord’s—there is a target on your back and the only way to go into  combat against the enemy is with the Word of God.

In Ephesians 6:17, the Bible is called the “sword of the spirit.”  And since we don’t live in medieval times, we are highly unlikely to have a sword at our disposal.  And though His Word IS our sword, sometimes we don’t have a Bible with us either.  However, if we memorize it…no one can take it from us.

Remember Jesus in the desert alone for forty days and nights…?  He was tired and hungry and vulnerable.  The enemy came at Him on all sides.  Jesus didn’t have a Bible with Him, did He?  Psalms 119:11 says,”I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

After you have memorized Scripture, you must learn how to apply it.  Jesus answered the enemy with specific Scripture—actually He quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3 the verse that we started off with today.  The enemy was tempting Jesus while HE was fasting and praying.  He tried to tempt Him with bread.  Jesus had an answer.  You, too, will have to respond to the enemy. He is the father of lies and he will have many for you.  You will need Scriptures that pertain to whatever he is throwing your way, and you must stand boldly on God’s  Word.  Don’t just let it collect dust on your coffee table or sit your nightstand by your bed.  Open it and read it!  It is one way that He speaks to us.

And if the enemy isn’t backing off, don’t give up!  If he wasn’t afraid of Jesus the first time, he won’t be afraid of you at first.  But if you’re persistent, and you draw your sword, then you can rebuke him in Jesus’ name.  He will flee, I am certain. Remember, there are seasons of spiritual warfare and there is always victory in Jesus.

I remember the story of Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian who hid Jews during the Holocaust.  While she was growing up, she, her sister and her father would learn Scriptures.  When she and her family were taken to the concentration camp, she had His words to lean on and remember.  She would say them out loud some days, just to make it through. She would pray Scripture to God and wait on Him to deliver her, and He did.

You have a story, too!  A story of hope and redemption and grace.  What does it look like?  I encourage you to journal today.  Write about the things you have gone through…and what or Who got you through.  And find some verses that you can rely on the next time you feel the attack of the enemy!

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:5

Let us pray: Dear Lord, You are all-powerful and all-knowing. Your love is unshakable and Your patience is never ending. You know our every thought and You know what we are going to do next. You save us from ourselves. We thank You for all that You do in our lives. You go before us and make our paths straight. Thank You for giving us Your Word. It is sharper than a two-edged sword and it never comes back void.  Lord, help us to desire to learn Scripture and to read it daily so that we know what You have said to us. We are so blessed by Your words.  And for the times that You speak to us alone. And when the time may come that we don’t have the luxury of having the Bible with us, we will have Your Word memorized and hidden in our hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Lady In Waiting: Match Made In Heaven

October 5, 2012 by

As I re-read these six paragraphs for the third time now, I remember the thoughts the Lord put on my heart after reading this for the first time almost two years ago.  I highlighted many sentences, BUT this particular one stuck out, “courageously determine to pursue Jesus with your whole heart, soul, and mind”.  I had never heard it put like that before.  Those words changed me.  It was then I started to think about what a relationship with Jesus could be like.  Surely it couldn’t be like having a husband here on Earth, could it?  I remember specifically asking God that question.  Over the next few months He gave me reason after reason why it is not like having an earthly husband, IT’S BETTER.

I know what you are thinking because I thought the same things.  How can God hug me when I need a hug?  How can God really talk to me?  How can I ever have my dream wedding with God?  The Lord showed me the answers to all of these questions, and much more.

I have felt the Lord hug me before, His hugs are real.  It has been few and far between, BUT I tell you what, it was the BEST feeling I have ever felt.  I am confident HIS hug feels better than a husband’s hug.  The Lord talks to me every day.  He talks to me through His LIVING word, through the nudges he puts on my heart and through prayer.  We talk face to face, I just cannot see His face, but He sees mine!  Ok, here comes the tricky one, the dream wedding.  SIDE NOTE: Prior to reading this chapter, I had never thought of God being my “fiancé” this revelation intrigued me, and it also changed my dreams into God’s dreams for me.  Post having this revelation, I trust completely in the statement “The Lord gives me the desires of my heart” (Psalm 37:4).  This does not mean I will definitely get the wedding I have always dreamed of.  This statement means I will DEFINITELY get the life God has dreamed of for me.

Let this sink in and let’s think about this quote on page 22 “It will require a determined heart and more than a little courage to wrench ourselves loose from the grip of our times and return to biblical ways”.  Our times say you have to be married to be happy, you are miserable without a man to love you, and hold your hand.  You are incomplete without having a house full of kids and a perfect husband to go along with it.  Turn on television and all you see are “couples” that validate these ideas.  Watch any romantic movie and it leaves you falling for a false sense of what real love and real relationships are all about.  Look at the Bible and you will see the truth.  Nowhere in the Bible does it support the idea that you need a man to be happy, complete, or satisfied.  In fact, the Bible tells us, all we need is God.

Colossians 2:10

So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Philippians 4:19

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 63:5

You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.

I know there are some of us, including me at times, that know these truths, and are comforted sometimes by the words the Lord and loved ones give us.  But what about the times these words are just not enough because we still are eating alone on a Friday night?  We are still missing something to make us feel complete in Christ.  The Lord spoke to me my missing piece, “You were created for more than a marriage here on Earth; YOU were created for a perfect marriage in Heaven with ME, your Heavenly Bridegroom”.  WOW, Thank you Jesus for being my match made in Heaven.  When the encouraging words no longer bring me comfort the Lord’s words always will.  Knowing that I am created for God, for HIS purpose, for OUR relationship- will always be enough for me, even on the nights I have to order take out for one.

This is what God has shown me will bring a lasting comfort and how we can truly be satisfied solely in our heavenly fiancé.  We must train our mind, body, and soul with heavenly training.  We must go on a journey to find your satisfaction in God alone.  You must not sulk about having a ring less finger; you must EMBRACE the perfect, never-ending love of your perfect fiancé in Heaven.  When your mind gets filled with thoughts or feelings that are not from God, you must pray instantly and get rid of those thoughts.  Vow to God to love Him first, and to trust Him to guide you in the plan He has for you.  Pray about the desires He has for you.  Learn those desires, accept those desires, and live out those desires.  That is where you will be the happiest and feel His hugs!

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LET’S PRAY:

Lord, I thank You so much that You love us perfectly.  I thank You that You have a beautiful plan for us.  I ask that You help each and every one of us to live for YOU alone.  I ask that You get rid of any desires that we have that are not what You want for us.  We trust that Your desires are not only best for us but will also bring us the fullest measure of joy when lived out.  I ask for Your continued comfort and that we are able to experience Your hugs!  We love You so much, Amen.

You’re Assignment:  

Please answer any of the questions in the comment section below.  What is your missing piece?  Is it the same as mine?  Do you believe God really is your match made in Heaven?

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Want to join the conversation in our Online Bible Study Facebook Discussion Group?  We would love to have you, just click the Sign Up Here button at the top of this page and follow the directions.  See you there!

If you have not accepted Christ as your Lord & Savior, we would love to pray with you.  Please contact our Prayer Team leader by emailing  Robin@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com.  Someone from our prayer team will contact you soon!

God Bless, 

Diane

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